The story began with the construction of paint, lubricant KY Jelly and cheating the world famous auction houses. All thought that it would end in a prison in London suburb Brikston, but John Mayattu (John Myatt) lucky: the scandal helped him become a popular artist. Now in the luxury London department store Harrods fakes an exhibition of works of art which has fulfilled Mayatt, one of the most brilliant rigged nowadays.

At one of the canvases in a gilded frame shown a place that glorified the whole world Claude Monet (Claude Monet) in his work «Bridge to Arzhantey». Those who took a picture of a true masterpiece of the great masters of impressionism, not to reproach himself in the artistic literacy: to distinguish the original from the fakes, created Mayattom not by virtue of most professionals.

From 1987 to 1994, John Mayatt made the forgery of works of famous artists and sold them to major auction houses - including Sotheby's and Christie's. Eventually Mayatta caught and jailed. But before he managed to circle around the fingers of many collectors and experts, marketing under the guise of some 200 original works in the style of Picasso (Pablo Picasso), Van Gogh (Vincent van Gogh) and the Chagall (Marc Chagall) .

Mayatt went to prison in 1995. During those four months he spent behind bars, he managed to win himself the nickname «Picasso» - in exchange for telephone cards Mayatt painted portraits of other «sideltsev». After his release Mayatt vowed never to handle a brush. But the police officer, arrested falsifiers suddenly unexpectedly asked him to write a portrait of his family. After much thought the artist agreed.

Since then it «original forgery» are obvious delight of the critics. Prices are up to five times the amount. By creating new works, now adorn the exhibition space Harrods Castle Galleries, 63-year-old Mayatt play «landmark» images of famous artists such as Gauguin (Paul Gauguin), Modigliani (Amedeo Modigliani), and Giacometti (Alberto Giacometti), and add to them their litters . For example, when writing a work «under Monet» he represented himself, Thu on could see the great impressionist, if in 1874 traveled half a mile along the Seine northwest of Paris, to visit his friend Renoir ( Pierre-Auguste Renoir).

«If you want, you can buy one of these pictures and tell everyone that this is the original - said Mayatt. - They are exhibited in the same way as the originals - in gilded frames. I have a buyer from America, which has bulletproof glass hangs over the present Van Gogh, and he asked me to do another one to hang close to the present. Neither of his guests had been unable to determine which picture is real and what is not ».

In fact Mayatt studied at a teacher of painting. But one day, to earn, he decided to publish in the magazine Private Eye ad, which read: «The true forgery for the 150 and 200 pounds». «I have had many customers, so I was able to support themselves by working at home. Some gave me the family pictures and asked them to write in the style of Gainsborough (Thomas Gainsborough), or Reynolds (Joshua Reynolds) », - tells falsifier. One client came to Mayattu often. Once he told the artist that sold one of his paintings, done in the style of German cubists Gleza Albert (Albert Gleizes), over 25 thousand pounds. The film has received expert evaluation specialist auction house Christie's. «He put it in an old frame and sold. He gave me half the money. I just could not believe in it. She had not even been painted with oil: [I have used. - Ed. ] water-based paint, softening lubricant KY Jelly ».

in circulation still remain about 80 fake work performed Mayattom. Many collectors are unaware that their collections are fakes, for a total of several million pounds.

According to Mayatta, to anyone who wants to create a forgery, is indistinguishable from the original, it is first necessary to carefully examine the original. «Should" mesmerized "picture, to examine the canvas, the thickness of paint layer, the display picture. This rule applies to all, irrespective of whether you are forging Rembrandt (Rembrandt), or Picasso, just need to learn to look at the original, stand in front of him. I stood for 20 minutes before each picture, holding his hands behind his back to the staff of galleries do not think that I was too close to approaching. Then I remembered the picture until the very last stroke, sat in the car, drove home and started to work ».

«I first working on a song, and when Understand it - over the colors and texture, about how to part with the paint brush». He then worked for hours on a signature. In the prime of his criminal career in the 1990's Mayatt went to Tate Modern gallery to «hypnotize» picture «Seated Nude» Marriage Georges (Georges Braque), and realized that he needs painted canvas. And this is what he said about Giacometti: «I always read about how he wrote the bare figures: first, painted head and shoulders, then" went down ". I, too, became so do ». He handled one of the paintings of Paul Gauguin (Paul Gauguin) with the image of the girl with a plate of fruit, using the same, like a painter, a cheap canvas. Mayatt recently started working on a portrait of the famous English actor John Kliza (John Cleese), «who wants the picture was in the style of Henri Matisse (Henri Matisse )».

John Mayatta Exhibition at Harrods opens 25 September and will run until October 15. More information about famous rigged, you can read here .

Sources: independent.co.uk , johnmyatt.com , artinvestment.ru